Out of the Box » Loudoun Countyhttp://www.virginiamemory.com/blogs/out_of_the_box
Notes from the Archives at The Library of VirginiaWed, 25 Feb 2015 14:00:01 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.8.1“I speak for the trees!”http://www.virginiamemory.com/blogs/out_of_the_box/2014/03/19/i-speak-for-the-trees/
http://www.virginiamemory.com/blogs/out_of_the_box/2014/03/19/i-speak-for-the-trees/#commentsWed, 19 Mar 2014 12:29:22 +0000http://www.virginiamemory.com/blogs/out_of_the_box/?p=7737

Flora of Virginia, the Library of Virginia’s latest exhibition, highlights the botanical exploration of Virginia from the colonial days to the present. Curated in partnership with the Flora of Virginia Project, the exhibition explores the history of botanical description and illustration and celebrates the power of the flower. It features original artwork and colorful illustrations from the LVA’s collections, as well as books, photographs, and plant specimens. With the exhibit as inspiration, I wondered what flora history could be uncovered in Virginia’s local court records.Plats and surveys, documents frequently included as exhibits in court cases, are excellent resources to discover which trees grew where in Virginia counties. Trees were often used as landmarks in plats or were included by the survey maker as decorative elements to their work. My search revealed a wealth of plat and survey examples from different parts of the state spanning over 250 years of Virginia history.

B. A. Colonna, the deputy county surveyor of Northampton County, drew a unique and detailed plat of Catherine H.G. Kendall’s land. His 15 January 1869 plat included symbols for the pine, oak, and gum trees growing on her land and a key to identify what each symbol represented. This plat is part of Northampton County Chancery Cause 1869-015, Samuel E. D. Kellam & wife vs. Juliet J. Kendall, etc.

Flora of Virginia, the Library of Virginia’s latest exhibition, highlights the botanical exploration of Virginia from the colonial days to the present. Curated in partnership with the Flora of Virginia Project, the exhibition explores the history of botanical description and illustration and celebrates the power of the flower. It features original artwork and colorful illustrations from the LVA’s collections, as well as books, photographs, and plant specimens. With the exhibit as inspiration, I wondered what flora history could be uncovered in Virginia’s local court records.Plats and surveys, documents frequently included as exhibits in court cases, are excellent resources to discover which trees grew where in Virginia counties. Trees were often used as landmarks in plats or were included by the survey maker as decorative elements to their work. My search revealed a wealth of plat and survey examples from different parts of the state spanning over 250 years of Virginia history.

B. A. Colonna, the deputy county surveyor of Northampton County, drew a unique and detailed plat of Catherine H.G. Kendall’s land. His 15 January 1869 plat included symbols for the pine, oak, and gum trees growing on her land and a key to identify what each symbol represented. This plat is part of Northampton County Chancery Cause 1869-015, Samuel E. D. Kellam & wife vs. Juliet J. Kendall, etc.

A 19 October 1807 plat and survey of the 2,240-acre estate of Colonel Lemuel Cocke in Surry County mentions pines, ash, dogwood, iron wood, red oaks, hickory, white oak, maples, lightwood, gum, and poplar. Ironwood is a name used for trees that produce hard wood, while lightwood is a resinous pine wood used for kindling. The plat and survey (images 11-12) appear in Surry County Chancery Cause, 1810-002, Children of Lemuel Cocke vs. Ann Cocke, widow.

A 26 July 1803 plat and survey of 112 acres owned by Samuel King in Augusta County, mentions white oaks, hickory, pines, red oak, and white walnut saplings. This plat and survey (image 31) can be found in Augusta County Chancery Cause, 1809-067, Daniel Fane vs. Samuel King, etc.

A 9 September 1741 plat and survey of 452 acres, part of the estate of Elias Edmunds in Lancaster County, mentions red oaks, chestnuts, black oaks, and white oaks. The plat includes drawings of trees at some of the corners. This survey and plat appear on images 10-11 in Lancaster County Chancery Cause 1751-001, William Edmonds, infant vs. Robert Edmund, infant.

A 17 July 1834 plat and survey of the 355-acre estate of Thomas Lee in Lancaster County mentions foxtale pine, locust, pine, hickory, and oak trees. The foxtail pine is one of several types of pines that have a dense head of foliage. This plat and survey is image 28 in Lancaster County Chancery Cause 1834-003, Guardian of John Towills, etc. vs. Henry C. Lawson & wife, etc.

A 5 March 1813 plat and survey of the 757 acres, 4 rods, and 65 poles of Francis Elgin’s land in Loudoun County mentions persimmons, black oaks, white oaks, ash, and poplar. This plat and survey is image 13 in Loudoun County Chancery Cause 1814-030, Gustavus Elgin, Jr. vs. Admx. of Francis Elgin, etc.

A 24 August 1835 plat and survey of the estate of George Cooper in Loudoun County mentions a hickory, an orchard, and a cherry tree. The plat and survey is image 21 in Loudoun County Chancery Cause 1836-051, George Cooper etc. vs. Admr. of George Cooper, Jr., etc.

A November 1867 plat and survey of 456 acres owned by John W. Powers in Wise County mentions black oaks, chestnut oak, white oaks, hickory, beech, spruce pine, and birch. The plat and survey (image 17) and a copy of a deed (image 19) that is easier to read than the plat can be found in Wise County Chancery Cause 1869-004, Samuel Pitman vs. John W. Powers.

There are a 21 December 1868 plat and survey of 593 acres and a 5 February 1869 plat and survey of 442 acres of the estate of Joseph C. Wills. The first plat and survey mentions buckeye, water oak (a member of the beech family), poplar, sugartree, white walnut, chestnut, sourwood, locust, and chestnut oak. Additional trees, mentioned in the second plat and survey, are ash and apple trees. These plats and surveys are images 16-22 in Wise County Chancery Cause 1870-008, Sylvania Wells, by etc. vs. Norvell Wells, etc.

A 28 September 1833 plat and survey of 690 acres on the estate of Terry Hughes in Henry County mentions Black Jack, Spanish oak, chestnut, red oak, apple trees, and black oak. The Black Jack tree is a member of the red oak group. This plat and survey is image 42 in Henry County Chancery Cause 1835-010, Edmund P. Wells & wife vs. Jemima Hughes, admx, etc.

To find more scanned plats and surveys on the Library of Virginia website, you can search the Chancery Records Index and choose to only see results that contain plats. To do this, choose a county or city name and then select the box option “Plats Available.” To view the scanned images of a chancery cause select “View Details.” You can then go directly to the plat image by clicking on “go to next plat.”

The Flora of Virginia exhibit is on view from 17 March 2014 through 13 September 2014.

Did you ever wonder where “Egypt” was in Loudoun County or how the Civil War affected the settlement of estates when legatees lived outside of Virginia? Or did you ever wonder about how the courts dealt with slaves when their owners died? Or what happens when someone makes a bequest but does not use the exact name of the group in their will?

If you have ever wondered about historical questions involving Loudoun County, Virginia, there’s a new and valuable resource available from the Library of Virginia, which helps to preserve and make accessible the chancery records from Loudoun County from 1758 to 1912. The records are the latest local records to be processed, indexed and digitally reformatted as part of the Library’s innovative Circuit Court Records Preservation Program. The records can be accessed in the Chancery Records Index in Virginia Memory. Loudoun County is the 49th jurisdiction in Virginia to have its records preserved and made available in perpetuity. The Library of Virginia has posted more than five million digital images to date as part of the chancery program, and more locality records are in the pipeline.

“These records are important because they help document the rich history of Loudoun County and its inhabitants,” said Carl Childs, director of Local Records Services at the Library. “To truly understand the history of … read more »

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Did you ever wonder where “Egypt” was in Loudoun County or how the Civil War affected the settlement of estates when legatees lived outside of Virginia? Or did you ever wonder about how the courts dealt with slaves when their owners died? Or what happens when someone makes a bequest but does not use the exact name of the group in their will?

If you have ever wondered about historical questions involving Loudoun County, Virginia, there’s a new and valuable resource available from the Library of Virginia, which helps to preserve and make accessible the chancery records from Loudoun County from 1758 to 1912. The records are the latest local records to be processed, indexed and digitally reformatted as part of the Library’s innovative Circuit Court Records Preservation Program. The records can be accessed in the Chancery Records Index in Virginia Memory. Loudoun County is the 49th jurisdiction in Virginia to have its records preserved and made available in perpetuity. The Library of Virginia has posted more than five million digital images to date as part of the chancery program, and more locality records are in the pipeline.

“These records are important because they help document the rich history of Loudoun County and its inhabitants,” said Carl Childs, director of Local Records Services at the Library. “To truly understand the history of a region, a person must research the records of the local circuit court, particularly the chancery records, as they provide critical information for historians, genealogists, and other researchers.”

Case by case, chancery records tell the story of Virginia. Cases may begin with a bill of complaint, explaining the background of the action, followed by an answerfrom the parties being sued. Some chancery cases could not be readily decided by existing written laws, so judges and court-appointed commissioners decided a fair and equitable settlement of the case based on the evidence presented and reported their findings to the court. The court’s decision, or final decree,was the last step in the proceedings. These records reveal detailed stories about individuals, and illuminate the history of the county in which they lived. A broad spectrum of citizens—rich and poor, black and white, slave and free—appear in chancery cases. These records tell us about families, the economy, businesses, and schools.

What about “Egypt”? It was a large farm located just a few miles southeast of Leesburg. Today it is a prime location for real estate development. Heirs living outside the Confederacy sometimes found their inheritance had been invested in Confederate bonds or exchanged for Confederate currency, which at the end of the Civil War was worthless. As for slaves they were divided among heirs with little regard for family ties.

When Anna Roszel of Loudoun County died childless and without blood relatives her will contained bequests to charitable organizations among them a $2,000 bequest to the American Society for the Colonization of Free Persons of Color. When the administrator of her estate refused to pay the bequest the American Colonization Society took him to court in 1844. The initial ruling was against the Society based among other things on the fact that the bequest was not by the name and style by which the Society was incorporated. The Society appealed and the Special Court of Appeals found in favor of the Society ordering payment of the $2,000 plus interest at the rate of six percent.

Chancery cases are a valuable source of local, state, social, and legal history and serve as a primary source for understanding a locality’s history. Often the cases document disputes over unpaid bills, failing marriages, and the care of minor children. They show the growth of business and industry in a locality. Bold graphics sometimes illustrate cases involving disputes over payments. The 1894 dispute between Ewell B. Atwell and Mary Survick and Boyd Survick over a steam merry-go-round and engine resulted in the merry-go-round ultimately being auctioned. A broadside advertised the July 21, 1894 sale and is part of the record of the case.

“Loudoun County is rich in history and we are pleased to participate in the Library of Virginia’s preservation grant programs. By establishing a partnership with the Library, we are ensuring the permanent preservation and safekeeping of Loudoun’s history while making valuable information available for citizens,” said Gary M. Clemens, the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Loudoun County. “Citizens today and most importantly, future generations will have the benefit of reviewing Loudoun’s historic records due to the implementation of these programs.”

Clemens credits his historic records manager, John Fishback, with the supervision and implementation of the project. “Without the support of Circuit Court Clerk Gary Clemens and John Fishback this project would not have been possible,” said Carl Childs. “The Clerk and his staff were committed to preserving these important records and to making them accessible to the public.”